What are the responsibilities and job description for the Dog Behavior Education Coordinator position at Austin Pets Alive!?
Dog Behavior Education Coordinator
Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is one of Austin’s most dynamic and best-loved nonprofits. The organization is the leader in the no kill movement nationally and is considered a national thought leader in animal welfare. APA! locally rescues, treats, and adopts out 10,000 homeless dogs and cats each year, providing the safety net for Austin’s most at-risk shelter pets, which helps Austin to be a no-kill city, while also assisting other communities in saving homeless animals. The organization is distinguished by the scrappiness of its grassroots, non-traditional community-based animal rescue work. The organization continues to innovate best practices to save sheltered lives and teaches its renowned no kill lifesaving model to hundreds of animal welfare professionals through it’s national work and the organization’s annual American Pets Alive! conference.
The goal of this position is to ensure safety and consistency for all dogs and humans in the shelter providing consistent and comprehensive training to all volunteer trainers and helping ensure that all dogs are receiving the training they need while in shelter. This is a full-time, nonexempt position that reports to the Dog Behavior Training Manager.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Oversee, schedule and teach a variety of dog handling and training classes to volunteers, staff and fosters.
- Continue to support, onboard and train instructors to lead or team teach a variety of dog handling and training classes
- Pair dogs up with trainers and assist with the admin and data collection associated with this.
- Recruit and Onboard new trainers each round through email, word of mouth and social media
- Assist with the Red/Purple Dog Approval Procedure and ensure that volunteers are getting approved for these dogs in a timely but safe manner
- Help manage and respond to emails in the dog-volunteer-behavior@ inbox to ensure support is provided in a timely and efficient manner
- Oversee or assist with any revamp of training videos, documents or curriculums that might be outdated or need improvement
- Utilize Better Impact to communicate with volunteers, schedule and add classes, check sign ups and hours and support any volunteer that might need assistance
- Act as the point person for the Dog Handling Instructor
- Help Dog Care, foster team and other APA! Dog staff with any of their training class needs
- Assist with Behavior Staff duties as needed with a focus on walks, feeds and preadopt/foster sessions
OTHER FUNCTIONS:
- Attend and participate in all required training sessions and meetings
- Maintain open and consistent communication with Program Manager or designee, supervisor, and other colleagues
- Able to react to change productively and perform other related duties as assigned
- Able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed
- Able to work in a high volume, fast-paced, high-stress environment
QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, & EXPECTATIONS:
- History of long-term, successful high-level dog handling and various methods of behavior modification experience required
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Be able to manage large amounts of information in an organized and efficient manner
- Strong aptitude for reporting on measurable, data-driven goals
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to thrive in a dynamic environment
- A desire to coach staff, fosters and volunteers on safe handling and training techniques
- Knowledge of and passion for the No Kill movement and its aims in Austin and throughout the region
- Demonstrated history of animal welfare employment preferred
- Able to maintain a positive outlook and professional demeanor in difficult situations
- Willingness to learn techniques outside of the APA! way of behavior modification while continuing to refine known techniques in achieving maximum effectiveness in life-saving
- Must embody APA!'s core values of innovation, respect, drive, resourcefulness, and inclusion
- Commitment to APA!'s customer experience expectations
- Willing and committed to working well with volunteers and staff in all roles
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively to a large group of people in a class setting.
PHYSICAL JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be able to routinely lift 40-50 pounds
- Must be able to work around animals (including diseased, injured, and/or potentially aggressive animals), loud noises, chlorine or other chemicals, and inclement weather
- Must be able to comfortably interact with cats/dogs of various health levels, including cats who may carry zoonotic diseases such as ringworm, scabies, intestinal parasites, etc.
- Must be able to visually observe people and animals from up to 150 feet away
- Ability to hear normal speech at close contact and shouting up to 150 feet away with the ability to hear and discern dog vocalizations both soft and loud
- Must be able to walk big dogs that pull and jump for multiple hours a day
- Must be able to be on your feet for long periods of time
- Must be able to pass all required dog handling training required for this position
- Must be able to focus in a loud and busy environment despite distractions
- Must be able to walk around shelter as needed - uneven ground, keeping a safe distance from dogs and handlers
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
- Standard office environment, with exposure to environmental conditions that include working with and near animals
- Uses own transportation to travel and transport
- Occasional after-hours or weekend work may be required to support program needs
- Work is normally performed inside; some outside work is required
- Exposure to unpleasant odors and noises.
- Exposure to bites, scratches and animal waste
- Possible exposure to contagious diseases
- Rapid pace with exposure to potential hazards including animal waste, disinfectants, and high levels of noise
- Potential for animal bites and scratches and diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people
LOCATIONS:
- APA! Main - Town Lake Animal Center 1156 West Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78703
- May travel to offsite locations as needed
SALARY & BENEFITS:
Dog Behavior Education Coordinator is a non-exempt Behavior Grade 2, Level 3 position with a starting hourly wage of $20/hr.
Austin Pets Alive! is proud to offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including up to 95% subsidy on employer sponsored medical coverage, subsidized and voluntary life insurance, voluntary dental, vision and short term disability options, all effective the first day of employment. We also offer voluntary wellness and emergency sick plans, up to 2% match on 401(K) retirement plan, supplemental benefits, subsidized pet insurance, flexible spending accounts and additional life coverage. Full-time employees receive 10 paid holidays and accrue 10 days paid time off during the first year of employment, with an additional 5 days of PTO accrual upon completion of 12 months of employment. Employees will also receive professional development opportunities through APA!’s ongoing mission to advance our animal welfare professionals in our life saving work.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT
Austin Pets Alive! is an equal employment opportunity employer and we value having staff who come from communities that are most impacted by the issues we engage on. We especially encourage people of color, LGBTQ people, women, transgender and gender non-conforming people, and people with disabilities to apply.
Austin Pets Alive! does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Austin Pets Alive! is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, community focus, and innovation.
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